Should the current field remain intact by Thursday afternoon, it would boost the 94th PGA Championship as the strongest field ever based upon Official World Rankings in history.
Since 1994, the PGA Championship has featured the most ranked players among any major championship and has brought together the most international competitors in any U.S. major.
In fact, the final Major of the season boasts the top-108 players in the world and unless a player inside the top-108 withdraws, then it will be the strongest Major in terms of the World Rankings.
Defending PGA Champion Keegan Bradley, who last week grabbed the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, is joined by 13 past Champions in the field.
Welcome to 2012 PGA Championship. (Photo - www.golbytourmiss.com)
They are: Rich Beem (2002), Mark Brooks (1996), John Daly (1991), Padraig Harrington (2008), Martin Kaymer (2010), Davis Love III (1997), Shaun Micheel (2003), Phil Mickelson (2005), Vijay Singh (1998, 2004), David Toms (2001), Tiger Woods (1999, 2000, ’06, ’07), and Y.E. Yang (2009).
The 32 major champions competing at The Ocean Course own a combined 58 major championships.
They are Beem, Bradley, Brooks, Angel Cabrera, Stewart Cink, Darren Clarke, Ben Curtis, Daly, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Lucas Glover, Retief Goosen, Harrington, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson, Kaymer, Paul Lawrie, Love, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Micheel, Mickelson, Geoff Ogilvy, Jose Maria Olazabal, Louis Oosthuizen, Webb Simpson, Charl Schwartzel, Singh, Toms, Bubba Watson, Woods, and Yang.
The Ocean Course adds to its distinction over two decades by joining PGA National Golf Club of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and Valhalla Golf Club of Louisville, Ky., in hosting the PGA of America’s four premier championships – the PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, the Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid and the PGA Professional National Championship.
Reigning PGA Professional National Champion Matt Dobyns of Sea Cliff, N.Y., the PGA head professional at Fresh Meadow Country Club in Lake Success, N.Y., heads a delegation of 20 PGA Club Professionals earning a berth at the PGA Championship.
The 20 earned berths through their performances in the PGA Professional National Championship in Seaside, Calif., in June.
Golf’s best professionals began competing for the PGA Championship’s Wanamaker Trophy in 1916. Past Champions span both the legendary and recent stars of the game: Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, and Keegan Bradley.
